Profile: Karl Johannson
Senior Vice-President, Canadian and Eastern U.S. Pipelines

April 15, 2011

A veteran of the power business in Alberta and Ontario and most recently TransCanada’s Senior Vice-President, Canadian Power, Karl Johannson is settling into his new role as Senior Vice-President, Canadian and Eastern U.S. Pipelines - a role he took over on January 1st with the retirement of Max Feldman.

In doing so, Karl draws on the business acumen he’s gleaned from years of leading businesses through the ups and downs of market fluctuations and brings a fresh perspective at a time when the opportunities and challenges for the Canadian natural gas industry have never been greater.

The shale gale, shifting flow dynamics, and the nuances of rates and services have all become second nature. That’s because Karl spent a great deal of time in his first few months on the job talking to customers and listening to the vision they have for their businesses.

Having logged a significant number of air miles, Karl immediately impresses those he meets with his deep understanding of the natural gas industry.

Karl notes that before joining TransCanada he worked in crude oil and natural gas liquids marketing with Northridge Petroleum Marketing. Plus, the insights he gained from the power business have given him a unique vantage point on the natural gas industry. It’s why in looking at the supply and demand forecasts for natural gas in Canada, he’s quick to ask, “How do we grow the markets? How do we capitalize on coal conversions and natural gas-powered vehicles to grow demand?”

In appointing Karl to this new role, Greg Lohnes, TransCanada’s President, Natural Gas Pipelines, cited Karl’s leadership and dedication as key reasons behind his success, noting in the announcement, Karl has been a key contributor to the success of the TransCanada Energy business over the past 15 years, most recently as Senior Vice-President Canadian Power, and will bring the same capable leadership, business acumen and dedication to the Canadian and Eastern U.S. Pipelines team.

At TransCanada Energy, Karl was responsible for all activities relating to the management of TransCanada’s Canadian and western U.S. unregulated electricity businesses. This included management of the western power generation business with 2000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity in Alberta and 500 MW in Arizona, plus, TransCanada’s eastern Canadian power generation business which includes equity interest in over 4000 MWs currently operating or under construction. Natural gas-fired power generation in Ontario is included in this total. Greenfield power generation and business development activities rounded out his portfolio.

“We deal in a business where we depend on our customers”

Karl is clear on how he approaches business relationships. “Customers underpin everything we do. We need to treat them well,” he says, noting that in his 21 years of experience in the energy sector, he’s seen first-hand the value of the excellent reputation TransCanada has earned in the industry here in Canada and throughout North America.  He intends to ensure that continues. 

“I believe all commercial arrangements have to be balanced. They need to make sense for both parties - TransCanada and our customers and partners. My work is to ensure that balance is achieved, maintained and continues.”

Karl sees opportunities in the ascendance of shale.  “Shale gas has changed the playing field more dramatically than anyone could have imagined. It has important impacts on the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and our customers. It’s something we need to be very cognizant of addressing together because it’s the basis of future benefit to the industry.”

As Senior Vice-President, Canadian and Eastern U.S. Pipelines, Karl has accountability for the Alberta System, the Canadian Mainline and the Foothills System. He is also responsible for TransCanada’s interest in the Trans-Quebec & Maritimes Pipeline, the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System and the Iroquois Gas Transmission System.

Karl holds a Master of Business Administration from the Haskayne School of Business and an Arts degree from the University of Calgary, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s General Management program.

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